“A human pandemic of bird flu is not necessarily inevitable.”

INTERVIEW IN the midst of growing alarm over bird flu, with cases of the disease having been detected in Europe and prevention measures being taken by Brussels, the president of the College of Veterinary Surgeons in the Balearics, Ramon Garcia, discusses his views. l Without underestimating what has been happening with regard to the spread of Bird Flu in Southeast Asia, is there really cause for such alarm in Europe? There can never be enought emphasis put on prevention of the spread of disease, but the alarm that is spreading through society is disproportionate to the situation as it stands at the moment. A huge snowball has been created with too much information and not all of it rigorously verified. I too, have heard someone in a position of responsibility announce the coming pandemic with absolute certainty. Well, it is in fact a possibility, but the conditions for it happening are not even in place yet. l Supplies of anti-flu vaccine have been exhausted in Madrid and they are on the point of doing so in the Balearics. Again, this is absurd and out of all proportion. The vaccine should only be used for high risk groups; it's like putting a bandage on a place where there isn't even a wound. Furthermore, anti-flu vaccines can only lessen the affects of the virus in a human pandemic, but of course, it's not 100 percent effective. A child specialist was saying to me the other day that all this is crazy and that he was not recommending vaccinating children if they are not already prey to other diseases which may put them at risk if they contract flu. Vaccination can also have adverse reactions in some people. l Can you tell us more about this bird flu virus known as H5N1? THE virus is highly efficient at facilitating the spread of disease, easily passing from one bird to another resulting in a high mortality rate. l Well, this surely must be a motive for alarm? THE virus can do a great deal of damage to the bird population, but you have to take into account that Southeast Asia is one of the most densely populated areas of the world. Figures show that amongst millions and millions of people who live there, 120 cases of bird flu have been reported in humans and 60 people have died. The region is well-known for its poultry farming, almost all of them with little or no specific control of access against migrating birds. These conditions favour a high rate of contagion. Bearing in mind all of this, and of course working on the basis that even one death is one too many, the instance of the disease amongst human beings has not been high. In reality, the transmission of the disease from birds to humans is difficult and complicated, requiring prolonged contact with infected poultry in an environment where the virus is circulating freely. l Which would be more dangerous: the mutation of the virus in humans or direct contact with infected birds? The mutation of the virus in humans would be most serious but there is no recorded case of bird flu being transmitted from one person to another. In Southeast Asia, a study is being made of the possibility that the disease has been passed from one sister to another but there is nothing conclusive as yet. l Only a short while ago, there were cases of bird flu in Holland. Yes, it occurred in 2003. It was in fact another type of virus but nevertheless, still very dangerous. Eighty humans were affected and a veterinary surgeon died from it. The situation was controlled with restriction of movement, infected poultry were slaughtered and antir-viral drugs were given to high risk human groups. Intervention was timely. The problem with H5N1 is that it has been in circulation for some time, but I don't think even now you can say that a human pandemic is inevitable. There are many effective preventitive measures that can be put in place. l What do you think of the measures recently adopted by the European Union? I think they're correct, with restriction on movement of birds and derivative commercial products within countries where cases of the disease have been confirmed. Birds coming from different poultry farms massed together on market days remain a dangerous source of contagion. Farms in risk areas which give unrestricted access to migratory birds should be covered over. It is precisely in these places where passing fowl can land, mix with their farmyard counterparts, share the same food and leave excrement. It has to be said however, that it would be difficult for a sick bird to fly great distances. It will be necessary to take samples from migratory and wild birds which arrive on the Islands. l Is there any risk if we eat meat from an infected bird? There is no evidence that the disease can be transmitted through food. l Can the disease be transmitted from a sick bird through its eggs? There is a case of this having happened. In a zone where instances of the disease have been recorded, an egg is a potential carrier even if it merely a question of biological mechanics.